Grate apparatuses and methods for covering and opening pits located in the floors of vehicle wash facilities are generally known in the vehicle wash industry. These pits are typically formed in the floor of a vehicle wash facility and can house a conveyor system for a vehicle wash system. These pits are also located generally beneath a path of vehicle travel. Due to their location, a covering is generally employed to close off an upper opening of the pit. As these pits are known to collect dirt and debris that are removed from vehicles during the vehicle wash process, they require cleaning. Due to the configuration of prior grate apparatus, this process can be time consuming and very cumbersome, which can result in the pit being cleaned less frequently than needed.
An example of one such prior art grate apparatus 10 and pit is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1. As is generally known, multiple grate apparatus are required to fully cover the pit from one end of the vehicle wash facility to the other. As exemplarily shown, prior grate apparatus are typically formed of a metal material and are supported over the mouth of the pit by rails 12 located on either side of the pit. The rails 12 are generally configured to extend along the length of pit such that they could support multiple grate segments end to end in order to cover the entirety of the pit. As shown, each of these prior art grate segments can be generally rectangular in shape and can include a solid metal border 14 consisting of side portions 16 that can rest on each of the side rails 12 and end portions 18 that extend between the side portions. As shown, a plurality of cross-pieces 19 can extend between the side portions and the end portions to form an open mesh portion that is encapsulated by the solid border. The mesh portions can include openings that allow water and dirt to flow through the grate structure into the pit.
Such prior art grate apparatuses suffer from certain drawbacks as the grate segments tend to be relatively heavy and bulky due to their rigid construction, making it difficult and time consuming for one or more vehicle wash technicians to remove the grate segments from over the mouth of the pit to expose the pit for cleaning. Also, to expose the pit, the grate segments need to be lifted and moved to a location adjacent the pit or on top of other grate segments still in place. This is particularly problematic for technicians assigned the task of cleaning the pit as it is generally desirous to quickly open and close the pit to prevent lost operation time of the vehicle wash. Further, once such grate segments have been removed from the pit during such a cleaning operation, the grate segments tend to disadvantageously take up a large amount of space in the vehicle wash facility, which tends to have limited available storage room. Replacing these grate segments can also be difficult due to the requirements that they be physically aligned. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved grate apparatus in the vehicle wash industry that is easier for technicians to remove from and position over top of a pit in a vehicle wash facility that is more compact for storage purposes, constructed of lighter weight and easier to manipulate.